Author's Note – Thanks for the great reviews, everyone. It looks like there's definitely an interest for me to continue this one. Just wanted to comment on Cloud's attitude. I'm trying to capture more of the cocky, sarcastic, naive, whatever-will-be-will-be attitude he had in the FF7 game. He wasn't so vocal in Advent Children, obviously because he was consumed with guilt over the way Aeris died and loss of confidence in himself because of the Geostigma. Well, Aeris is alive in my fic and Cloud's guilt has been replaced with sarcasm and bitterness, as his thoughts went on to say in the first chapter. But that doesn't mean he's going to be a jerk throughout the entire story. I've got quite a lot written already and there are some funny moments to come, of which Cloud will have plenty to say in his head. I hope you all decide to stick with me through this story's good and bad times ahead.

On to the next chapter…

Chapter 2 – Out of Place

"How long are you going to be gone?" asked Aeris as she hopped on my cot, making the springs creak.

I stuffed my clothes in a duffle bag. It was small enough to fit in the storage compartment of my bike, so I was limited to what I could bring. "I don't know. I guess it depends how long it takes Shinra to find the person behind the death threats." I grabbed my mp3 player and some magazines off my desk.

"But that could be weeks…even months. Who's going to help me with the bar?"

I was never around to help with the bar, so why was she even asking me that? "He's paying me a lot of money." I didn't want to tell her how much because like me, she didn't fully trust Shinra and she'd try to convince me he had something up his sleeves.

My eyes drifted over to the snowboard resting against the wall near the window. A kid in Icicle Village traded it to me for something I couldn't remember. When I first used the snowboard, I crashed quite a few times, but I got good at it and even though it had been freezing cold on that mountain, it was still a lot of fun. I walked over and grabbed it, figuring I could get in a couple days of snowboarding while I was there.

"It's not about the money, Cloud. You don't have to take this job."

I stopped and looked up at her. "Look, Aeris, I just need to go. Okay?"

"It's about last night, isn't it? It's because I brought Reno home again."

Yeah, it had a lot to do with last night, but I wasn't about to admit outloud. I had my pride. I didn't want to sound like the sex-deprived loser that I was. Out of anyone I knew, I wanted her to be the one to believe the story about me and the hookers. I even bragged about it when she first read the story a few days ago. But she just shook her head and laughed at me, saying I couldn't even handle one hooker, much less six. How would she know? "It's not about last night and it's not about Reno. You can do whatever you want." I zipped up my duffle and dragged it off the bed.

Aeris followed me out of my room and down the stairs. "Cloud, wait."

I stopped at the back door and turned to her. "Don't worry. I'll call you…to check on the bar and stuff." I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that I'd be calling just to hear her voice because I'd really miss her.

"You know, the Icicle Village Academy is an all girls' school."

WHAT?! Rufus forgot to tell me that important fact. "I know that." I didn't want Aeris to know that I didn't know.

"Don't you think you'll feel out of place there?"

Me in an all girls' school? Damn right I'd feel out of place. "It's just a bunch of kids. Won't make a difference to me."

She suddenly threw herself at me, squeezing her arms around my neck and pressing her soft assets…my favorite ones…against my chest. "Please be careful, okay?"

I almost wanted to change my mind about going. All she had to do was tell me not to go and that she'd dump Reno. It'd be worth losing the half a million gil.

"I guess Reno will have to keep me company while you're away."

Almost. "Yeah, sure. He'll keep you company." I pulled away from her and walked out. As I drove Fenrir out from under the canopy in the alley, I didn't bother looking back because I knew she wouldn't be standing there to see me off. She used to, but not for awhile. Not since Reno came into the picture.

Knowing I was going to be gone for an indefinite amount of time actually gave me a sense of freedom and relief. Maybe it was because I wouldn't be subjected to seeing Aeris getting hot with Reno. Or maybe it was a premonition that I needed to just let her go. Afterall, it was apparent she had decided to move on. Well now it was my turn.

I sat on Fenrir with my arms folded, watching a large chopper approach the landing pad near Healin. Standing next to me was Rufus and behind us was half the Shinra squad.

The chopper touched down smoothly and a ramp slowly lowered beneath the back end.

"Remember what I told you," said Rufus. "No one but the school principle knows she's my sister."

I gave him a nod.

"Take care of her, Cloud. She's all I have left."

I half turned toward Rufus as I started the engine. Sentimentality just didn't seem to fit his persona. I wanted to leave before he started crying on my shoulder about stuff I didn't care about. "Don't worry about it." I pulled forward and drove Fenrir up the ramp and into the chopper. Once inside, I dismounted and proceeded to lock the bike down for the two hour trip north.

The pilot didn't wait for me to finish and the chopper left the ground, nearly knocking me off my feet and my bike on top of me. Son-of-a-bitch!

After making sure Fenrir was safely locked down for the flight, I squeezed through the small door to the cockpit. "Couldn't you wait until I was done back there?" I angrily asked the pilot. Then I saw who it was. Blazing red ponytail. Shit. I just couldn't get away from this guy.

"Sorry, Cloud," Reno replied in his easy-going, matter-of-fact manner. "I'm on a tight schedule. Gotta get back in time for some of Aeris's famous fried cactaur."

There wasn't any room to sit in the cargo bay and there weren't any other seats in the cockpit except for the one next to him, so I didn't have much of a choice. I plopped myself down in the passenger seat. "Right, no sense in missing that," I said sarcastically.

From the corner of my eye, I observed Reno's lax posture behind the chopper's controls. If we crashed I'd kick his sorry ass down into the abyss that used to be the Temple of the Ancients. See him try to climb out of that fucking hole.

"You know, Cloud, I can't figure it out myself, but Aeris really worries about you."

I turned to stare out the window, already feeling queasy from the chopper's motion. "Yeah, whatever." If she worried about me so much, then how come she couldn't see how she was killing me everytime I saw her with some guy…especially Reno. I mean, the Turks tried to kill us. Not to mention all the times they managed to kidnap her and tried to run experiments on her because she was a Cetra. What was she doing with a guy like Reno? She could do so much better than him. At least I had the decency not to date an ex-enemy. How would she like it if I suddenly showed up with that crazy bitch slapping, Scarlet? Ugh, scratch that. I'd rather make out with a Wolfmeister.

Reno sighed in contentment. "Ah, she's really something, isn't she? I've never been with anyone with such an insatiable appetite. Only the Gods know how much I love to make that girl scream out my name."

I rolled my eyes and drummed my fingers on the arm rest.

"I can't believe I'm actually saying this, Cloud, but I think I'm really falling for her."

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Will you just shut up and fly the fucking chopper?"

"Fine." He sounded insulted. "Last time I ever pour my heart out to you."

He didn't have a heart to pour out! Two hours to get to Icicle Village. If he didn't shut up, I'd never make it without jumping through the cockpit window.

My stomach started doing flip flops. I hated that I was susceptible to motion sickness. I put my feet up on the console in front of me, hoping it'd help stabilize me.

"Hey, get your clodhoppers off my equipment."

"Bite me," I replied before folding my arms across my chest and closing my eyes. Time to catch up on my beauty sleep.

The Icicle Village Academy building was huge. It was shaped like a U, with a mile of manicured lawn underneath a fresh layer of morning frost. Surrounding the property was a fifteen foot high iron fence and beyond that was a forest that stretched in every direction.

As I looked toward the mountain further away, where I knew Icicle Village was situated at the top, I realized the academy wasn't anywhere near it. It was still close enough to be cold, but maybe it didn't get dumped on with as much snow as I thought it would.

So much for snowboarding in my spare time.

A little further down through the forest was another building, similar to the one we were approaching. But I couldn't see what was on the sign with the trees in the way.

Next to me, Reno was talking to somebody on the radio, getting clearance to land on the courtyard near the front gate, which was a quarter of a mile away from the front of the building. "Just forewarning you, my passenger has a mean-looking crotch rocket…Yeah, it's a motorcycle…" He pulled off his headset. "Dumb shit."

After Reno landed the chopper, he turned in my direction with a smirk. "Well, here we are, Cloud."

I got out of the seat and slipped through the door to the back.

"Not even a thank you? Fuck you, too, man."

I unhooked Fenrir and mounted up, waiting for the ramp to lower. When it was halfway down, I revved the engine and shot backward. As I landed, I spun Fenrir around and headed for the front of the building. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw the chopper rise back into the air. Good riddance to Reno.

Up ahead, twenty or thirty steps led up to a large landing in front of the entrance. Standing at the top were three men dressed in dark suits. Turks? No, they looked too old.

I drew Fenrir to a stop at the foot of the stairs and turned off the engine. Before dismounting, I flipped the switch to open the fenders. I pulled my Apocalypse sword out of its slot and slipped it in the harness at my back. As an afterthought I pulled out the Organics blade, harnessing it with the other. After putting away my goggles and closing the fenders, I dismounted and made my way up the stairs.

One of the men stepped forward away from the others and held his hands up. "I'm sorry, but weapons are not allowed inside the building."

I stopped in front of him. "Who the hell're you?"

"The name's Hutchins. I'm in charge of security."

I looked him up and down. This old fart was in charge of security? Give me a break. "My purpose here requires me to carry weapons."

"Regardless of your purpose, Mr Strife, we have rules."

So he knew my name. Shinra obviously informed the necessary people that I'd be arriving. I glanced at the others before turning back to Hutchins with one of my cocky grins. "I'll make you a deal, Hutchins. You let me keep my weapons, I'll let you keep your arms."

He paled a little and seemed to think about it for a minute. Then he motioned me to follow him. As I passed the other two, they fell in behind me. I found it pretty funny that they thought it necessary to escort me. What'd they think I was going to do, steal some first grader's artwork off the bulletin boards?

A bell rang just as we went through the front entrance and in the next instant the foyer was swarming with white shirts and red plaid skirts. Curious young eyes followed my every move and I heard excited whispers and giggles around me. At first I felt a little uncomfortable, but then I remembered I wasn't the only guy around. There were the three escorting me somewhere. The three older men, that is. Even though the girls were just a bunch of kids, I still felt alittle awkward, like I was walking through some forbidden sanctuary.

Luckily we didn't have far to go as Hutchins motioned me through a door at the end of the hallway, cutting off the whispers and the giggles and the stares. I was pretty sure I heard the words 'hot' and 'nice sword' among the mumbles, just before the door was closed behind me.

I found myself alone in an office. Big wooden desk, shelves full of books, very scholarly looking place. I walked over to read some of the book titles. I wasn't much of a reader, unless you counted magazines…news, mechanics, porn. The last time I picked up a book was back at the SOLDIER academy. Hell, that was like five years ago. With nothing to do but watch over a stupid kid, maybe I'd get a chance to read a few books. "Yeah, sure…like what?" I asked myself. If Aeris were here, she'd probably suggest some kind of self-help book, like 'How to Improve Your Attitude at Social Functions' or 'How to Be Friends without Benefits'.

The door opened and an overly thin woman in a conservative gray suit walked in. Her dark hair was streaked with gray and was pulled back in a bun so tight, the skin on her face looked like it was stretched back with it, just to minimize the wrinkles.

She made her way around the desk. "Please have a seat, Mr Strife." She sat in a high-backed chair and folded her hands on top of a manila folder.

As I stepped closer, I eyed the cushioned chairs in front of the desk, knowing I'd never be able to sit down with the equipment strapped to my back. And I wasn't about to take the time to unstrap the harness. "I'll stand, thanks."

"As you wish." She cleared her throat and stared at me like I was a bug on a wall she wanted to crush with the flat heel of her black shoe. "We need to go over a few rules before I allow you to remain here."

I shrugged. "Okay."

"This is an all girls' school, Mr Strife."

I smirked. "Really? I didn't notice."

Her face didn't change, forcing me to lose the smile. Apparently this woman had no sense of humor. She opened the manila folder in front of her and raised a pair of bifocals to her nose. "It says here you were a radical."

"A what?"

"A radical. A member of a reckless group called AVALANCHE, responsible for the destruction of various sectors in Midgar. Not to mention the destruction of the Temple of the Ancients, the launching of the landmark in Rocket Town, luring Ultimate Weapon to Mideel resulting in the town's destruction. And of course, there's the cannon incident at Junon which could have gone far better without your involvement."

I frowned, wondering where she could possibly have gotten any kind of information on me or my team. "Who's saying we were reckless?"

She looked up and removed her glasses. "I'm not interested in debating the facts with you, Mr Strife."

"Well, those aren't the facts. Whoever said all that is wrong." I really didn't need to defend myself to her or anybody else, but I hated when people talked crap about AVALANCHE without knowing the truth and realizing we were ultimately responsible for the survival of mankind on this world. This lady had no idea what she was talking about.

"I mentioned those incidents for a reason. What I need is some kind of assurance you won't do anything reckless that might damage school property, or harm any student or staff member."

I glanced at the name on the desk. Dolores Redgrave. I filed it away in my head because I planned to do my own investigating. For all I knew, she could have been selling young girls to Don Corneo before his untimely demise. Was that in her file? "I can't make any promises without knowing what kind of threat I'm dealing with. I'm not saying I'll intentionally hurt anybody, but if they get in my way…well, sorry."

"Sorry?"

"Yeah, sorry. That's the best I can give you."

She huffed heavily. "I must tell you, if Mr Shinra wasn't providing monthly contributions to the school, we would not be having this discussion. I would have had his sister removed from the premises."

The image of Heavy Tank came to mind. That's what this woman reminded me of...not big like the creatures I fought in the demolished reactor at Gongaga…just the same bad attitude. I knew right away we'd be locking horns from this day forward. "There won't be any problems as long as everyone stays out of my hair, including you."

She gave me a reprimanding glare before looking back down at my file with her glasses.

I really wanted to get my hands on that folder and find out where the hell it came from. Had Rufus given it to her? Or did she have her own sources.

"Having attended a strict academy such as SOLDIER, you should be familiar with the seriousness of following rules."

"Sure. No girls in the room, no late night drinking, study, study, study."

Removing her glasses again, she gave me an even harsher look. "The same rules apply in this academy."

I held my hands up in defense. "Hey, I'm not here to party or play hopscotch with a bunch of little girls. I'm here to protect just one. The less contact I have with anybody else, the better for me."

Redgrave gave me a once-over…twice. "I will have Hutchins provide you with adequate accommodations."

"Where's her room?"

"In the east wing."

"Is she alone?"

"Each room accommodates two girls, so she shares her room with one other girl."

"Lose the roommate and put me in her room."

Redgrave gasped. "That is completely out of the question."

I had enough of this First Class witch. I dug my phone out of my pocket, flipped it open and started punching numbers.

"Who are you calling?"

I ignored her and put the phone to my ear. "Hey, Rufus. It's Strife."

Redgrave stood up. "Now see here…"

"Is everything all right, Cloud?" asked Rufus.

"Actually no. I wanna tell you about the uncooperative principle of the school, the one keeping me from protecting your sister."

"Well, I never…" she mumbled on.

"Put Principle Redgrave on," said Rufus.

I held the phone out and gave her my best smile. "He wants to talk to you."

She took the phone and put it to her ear. "This is Principle Redgrave." Her eyes fluttered nervously. "Yes, but…There are certain things that…No, of course not, Mr Shinra, and the school greatly appreciates your contributions…Yes…Yes…However, our policies restrict…" She actually looked a lot paler as she continued to listen. "But his request is quite inappropriate for…Yes…Yes…Very well, I…I will see to it personally. Good day."

I caught my phone as she tossed it back to me. "Well?"

Redgrave squinted her eyes in my direction. "It'll take some time to move Miss Collins out of the room."

"Fine. I can wait. And find me a place to park my motorcycle. I don't want it out in this shitty weather."

She looked ready to argue with me, but then sat back down in her chair. "Very well. Let me arrange for your requests to be carried out." She picked up her telephone. "Hutchins, I need you to arrange a room transfer."

There was a knock on the door.

"Hang on." Redgrave raised her head. "Come in." Then she went back to her call. "Move Miss Collins out of room 314…"

The door opened and I did a double-take when I noticed the long-haired babe that just walked in. The expression on her face went from shocked to happy to angry in less than five seconds. If she wasn't wearing a school uniform, I would have thought she was a teacher. But she looked about eighteen or nineteen, a little too old to be going to this school.

Damn, she had nice legs, too. When my eyes drifted back up to her face, I realized she caught me eyeballing her. And I couldn't say I was being very discreet about it. She was incredibly hot, I couldn't help myself! "Hi," I said.

She gave me a cold frown and didn't answer back.

Did I say something wrong? I said 'hi', I didn't say 'nice hooters', which was the thought in my head at the time.

"Yes, and do it quickly…Good." Redgrave hung up the phone.

I gave the hot girl a smile…the one that normally earned me a smile in return. But she didn't buy it. If anything, her scowl deepened.

"Miss Lockhart, would you kindly explain why it took you ten minutes to get here from your classroom which is only down the hall?"

What? Did Redgrave just call her Miss Lockhart? WHAT?? The smile fell from my face.

"Sorry, Miss Redgrave," she said. "I was in the Ladies Room."

"When you are summoned to my office that does not mean stopping anywhere else along…"

I cut into their debate. "Hang on a second, this is a mistake. I'm looking for a twelve or thirteen year old kid named Tifa Lockhart." I pointed a finger toward Long Legs. "That's not her."

Redgrave looked at me like I had just grown a second head. "This is Tifa Lockhart."

"No," I said with a shake of my head as I pulled a picture out of my pocket and tossed it on the desk. "Rufus gave me that."

Redgrave looked at the picture. "This photograph is obviously several years old. Miss Lockhart is eighteen now."

When Reno ended up being my pilot, I thought my day couldn't get any worse. Well, I was wrong. The thirteen year old, snot-nosed kid I was supposed to protect, turned out to be a long-legged, drop-dead gorgeous angel with a rack I could lose myself in. The last time I played bodyguard to a woman like her was Aeris and that got me nothing but mental grief.

I scratched my head and walked away from the desk. "Shit." Would they notice if I killed myself now? Because I'd be doing it soon if I had to be in the company of this hot girl and be consciously cautious of my own actions.

"I've called you in here, Miss Lockhart, for two reasons. The first is to tell you that your brother has hired this bodyguard for your protection."

Tifa gave me a brief disgusted glance before addressing Redgrave. "Protection from what?"

"It seems Mr Shinra received several death threats and he fears the person responsible might come after you."

"Well, don't you think it would be better if I went home?"

I jumped in before Redgrave agreed. "Not a good idea. No one knows there's any connection between you and Shinra."

Tifa's disgusted cold glare continued. "Rufus obviously has his entire squad protecting him. I think I'd be better off with him than here with you."

So now she didn't think I was good enough to protect her? "Maybe you haven't heard of me."

She gaped in disbelief, like I had just told her the world was flat. But then she clenched her teeth and her fists. "SOLDIER, AVALANCHE, revolutionary, troublemaker. Whatever the hell you think you are these days." She turned to Redgrave. "I don't need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself."

Redgrave shook her head. "I'm sorry, but this isn't negotiable and it's out of my hands."

Tifa turned her head in my direction again. Her eyes turned a fiery red. I just met her two minutes ago and she was making me feel like I was the source of all her problems. What did I ever do to her?

I quickly scanned my head for the possibility that I might have dated her and never called. No way. I would have remembered her. That nag in the back of my head whispered something. Could it be possible I might have known her during those gaps in my memories? When did I know her? Why was I blocking out the memory? It couldn't be that bad. Could it?

"The second reason I've called you here, Miss Lockhart," Redgrave continued, "…is to discuss yesterday's disruption in Mr Eastman's Biology class."

Tifa rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Perhaps you can explain to me how six hundred crickets escaped from their breeding tank?"

"Like I told Mr Eastman, I was just trying to feed Elmo. One of the crickets jumped out of my hand and landed in Trisha's hair. She's the one who knocked the lid off the tank with her flailing arms."

Redgrave snorted indignantly. "I know better than to believe anything you say, as past incidents have proven. You're confined to your room with no supper tonight."

Confined to her room with no food? It seemed to me like a pretty harsh punishment for turning loose a bunch of crickets. Unless they were as big as a Shadow Creeper.

"You may go now," Redgrave said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Tifa turned and headed for the door. She didn't give me a second glance as she yanked it open and stormed out.

"As for you, Mr Strife…"

I decided I had enough of Redgrave and her rules and regulations. Besides my job just started. I rushed out after Tifa.

She was halfway down the hall, moving fast on those long legs.

I caught up and fell in beside her. "Where're you going?"

"Don't even talk to me, Cloud!"

"Hey, don't jump down my throat cuz you got in trouble."

"Oh please. I've been punished worse."

"And you call me a troublemaker?"

"I don't kill people."

"You're just upset because your brother Rufus hired me to be your bodyguard."

"No, I just realized what a jerk you really are." She opened a door and walked through the threshold.

I followed and stopped in my tracks. Twentysomething sets of female eyes fell on me, including those of an overweight man. I backed out and closed the door behind me.

Who was she calling a jerk?

Please review. Thanks.